My cottage-weary husband returned home on Thursday morning and went straight to his work to do up the payroll. Around 3pm he came through the door. I had a little surprise for him. We'd been talking about getting a small bistro table for our sundeck. For years we had admired cast-iron pedestal bases that we'd occasionally see in cafes but never in retail shops. I was scouring Craigslist on Tuesday night and saw exactly what I'd been looking for...

The guy was moving to San Francisco and was asking $120. I wasn't interested in the table top or the chairs - just the pedestal base. On-line, I have seen these sell for about $300. (US funds) not including shipping, handling, etc. I called him right away and the next afternoon I drove down to East Vancouver and we managed to squeeze it into my car. The table weighed a ton. Brought it home, lugged it onto the deck, and cleaned it thoroughly with dish soap and baking soda...

A few days prior, while waiting for my son to have his drum lesson, I walked into Micheal's Craft Store. They had these cool seeded glass candle holders. They were 40% off and ended up being $10. each...

When Lorenzo came home, I served us chilled white wine on our new little patio table...

He was so pleased - he calls it our "cafe." Every now and then he'll say, "Coming out to the cafe?" There's something about sitting at a small table with someone that is very inducive to conversation. Anyway, we sat in the beautiful sunshine and he expressed his profound relief that the cottage is done. Done!!!  He wore an expression of disbelief and his eyes filled with tears - we were almost in a state of shock. So we toasted our fun-filled future on Mayne Island, drank wine and talked about renting a truck, getting our furniture over, and all the other tiny details left to do. Then the kids came home who were very happy to see their Dad...

*     *     *

Vancouver is a crazy place. A week ago, it snowed. I was going outside in a heavy coat and boots. Now, it's warm and spring is in the air; trees are in bloom, the birds are singing and people are mowing their lawns. On Thursday night Lorenzo and I were feeling very "springy" and decided to walk down to our favourite restaurant, La Villetta.  It sits on the corner of Hastings and Ingleton and it's been in our neighbourhood for decades...

Lorenzo is Italian and I'm half Italian, which makes us extremely picky about Italian food. People will rave about some restaurant that we think is terrible. We are constantly biting our tongues because we don't want to appear as food snobs. For this reason, we eat Italian at home. La Villetta, however,  is an exception - their veal parmigiana is the best I've ever eaten outside of Italy. So that is what I had, with a  lovely green salad with the most delicious vinaigrette ever.  Usually when we go there Lorenzo has Osso Bucco - he is convinced no one does it as well. The owner bakes his own bread too, and it's just to die for. I'm eating low-carb these days, but I still had to stick my face into the basket. There is no smell as heavenly as fresh baked bread. 
La Villetta is a small friendly place and has become our home-away-from home. And it's only a block away! What a nice evening.... 

The next day the kids all took off with their friends. Since it was such a nice sunny day, we headed into Gastown which is one of my favourite places in the city and only about a 15 minute drive from our house. It was established in the mid-1800's and was the first downtown core of Vancouver...

When I was a little kid, one of my uncles owned The Blarney Stone pub as well as the Spinning Wheel Pub. My other uncle owned The Savoy jazz club. So I grew up kind of thinking that my family owned Gastown. Anyway, we strolled around and in celebration of finishing the cottage, we headed into Fluevog Shoes...

John Fluevog is a Vancouver original and his footwear was put on the international map by Madonna who began wearing his funky books in the 1980's....

His Gastown shop is amazing - he took over what was once an alley in-between two buildings and somehow fashioned a retail space using steel girders and glass. It's a remarkable feat of design and engineering; Lorenzo and I found ourselves staring upward while we were there.  

I don't know how I could have lived in Vancouver my whole life and never venture into Fluevog. The shoes are absolutely delightful and they're sturdily made with chunky heels and heavy rubber soles - even the dressy pumps look like you could chase a cab in them if you had to. The reason we went there, was because we ducked in on St. Patrick's Day on our way to the Irish Heather Pub. I spied a pair of black shoes that reminded me of my old Irish dancing hard-shoes...

They're called "Hopefuls."  I tried a pair on and did a happy dance and bought them on the spot. A few days later I realized they were too small, so yesterday I exchanged them for a size up. I can't believe how comfortable they are. I've always been cheap when it comes to clothing myself, but I've decided never to wear crappy uncomfortable shoes again. I just love these...

I made Lorenzo get a pair too, so he bought these...

They're called "Michael" and they look so cool on him....

After weeks and months of relentless rain and gray depressing weather, it was as if the city had been reborn. I've seen many parts of the world and I can honestly say that few places are as beautiful as Vancouver on a sunny day....a sunny day, mind you. On a rainy day, you just want to stick your head in the oven. 

This is the "Big Ben" steam clock...

We walked all over Gastown and ventured into an Aboriginal art gallery. We saw this little print by Sue Coleman. It's called, "Night Owl." It's just a 9 x 12 art card and was only $14.  I think it will look cute in the hallway at the cottage...

I love her paintings. Here are a few samples of hers that I cannot afford:

                                           "Blue Heron"

                                       "Killer Whales"

                                                "Wolf"




All of this traipsing around Gastown made us hungry so we popped into "Brioche. " I had forgotten how wonderful the food is...

Located at 401 West Cordova, it's one of those tiny little places that you often forget exist. Lorenzo and I hadn't been there for at least a year and a half...

We know the owner, Eduardo, who hails from Sicily. He was excited to see us as he'd been wanting to contact Lorenzo about casters he needs in his kitchen. Anyway, I told him that I'm off carbs, so he brought me a salad that was amazing. He makes his own mayonnaise, uses the finest bacon I've ever tasted, tosses in a few prawns and grilled tomatoes...this is the perfect meal for me. It was hard not eating the giant chunk of crispy bread that came with it...

Lorenzo asked Eduardo to bring him anything. Out came a plate of spaghetti with a rack of lamb...

I tasted the sauce and nearly passed out. Indescribably good - hints of anise and cinnamon; a fragrant rich concoction that I could have eaten by the bowlful. What a delightful little restaurant. If you're in Vancouver and you get hungry, please go to Brioche. You will not be sorry! He told us to come back and try his Cioppino and his baked eggplant.

Eduardo refused to let us pay the bill which made us feel terrible - he did this the last time we were there. Lorenzo says he's going to set him up with the best stainless steel casters for his equipment. Free of charge, of course. Brioche used to be a lunch-only establishment, but now he's open for dinner. I can't imagine a nicer evening;  Gastown is magical in the dark...

After our lunch, happy and stuffed, we decided to head home. We passed a shop I've always meant to go into called "Iron Accents" on West 2nd. So we popped in.

We got chatting to the owner - Murray - and get this: he got married on Mayne Island many years ago. Usually people ask, "Where's Mayne Island?" So that was kind of fun. His store is filled with iron baker's racks, planters, trellises, wall decor - you name it. I spied a very cute side table. I loved the black/brown patina and the way it was held together with these collapsible supports. It holds a removable metal tray on top which was an added interest. It was only $60. So we bought it....

I've been pricing iron hooks for the cottage and they're usually around $10-$12 each. Murray had these huge, heavy iron hooks for $4. So I bought six of them for the bathroom...

A while back, I was thinking of getting a vintage tin sign to hang on the space above the stove at the cottage. We don't have a back-splash so I wanted to put something there. I saw one on-line that I really liked but it costs $35. (US) not including shipping, etc.

I thought this was so whimsical - and I liked the shape of the eggs because they reminded me of the giant knobs I'll be installing onto the cupboards  But $35. was just too much to pay in my opinion. Murray had three tin sings in his store and I bought one for $12. I think it will look very homey...

Today Lorenzo cleaned all the gutters, I worked around the house and made dinner, the kids took off again with their friends. We went for a long walk with the dog and, of course, we talked about houses. We'll stop in front of a house and Lorenzo will say, "How the hell did that pass code? The upper deck is completely crooked."  We admire the older homes, the ones with leaded windows and wood mullions. Old homes just seem to blend into the surroundings better than new homes - there's something humble about them. Sadly, on our walks we always stumble upon what is referred to as a "Vancouver Special." When we were growing up, they were called "Italian Specials" by sneering non-Italians. I suppose political correctness influenced a name-change. Despite being well constructed, they are boxy and boring and a blight on the urban landscape. Not Italy's finest hour, surely...

What saddens me is what got torn down to build one of these horrible looking things. How many gorgeous old homes were razed to make room for something so unappealing and so lacking in charm, warmth, and character? It should not have been allowed. And because they're so bloody sturdy and well-made, they'll probably be a permanent fixture in our city for the next hundred years.

A few years ago, our neighbours three doors down sold their beautiful character home. In my opinion, it was one of the loveliest houses in the area. Every time I walked my dog, I smiled. I felt truly grateful to be sharing my street with something so delightful...

The buyers tore it down and built a massive monster home. It is a looming dark structure that lacks a single redeeming feature. And it has enough outdoor accent lighting to illuminate a sports arena. You walk past at night and you're blinded. Clearly, they've never heard of global warming. I've never spoken to them - I'm still too upset about the house they tore down. Once these older homes are gone, they're gone forever. And even when new homes attempt a "character" type of design, you can always tell they're new. That was a really sad day for me - I wish I had snapped up all their garden plants, at least...

Well, tomorrow is Easter. Happy long weekend everyone. Ciao for now!

Lorenzo is returning home tomorrow morning - he's been gone since Saturday night. It seemed that every time he phoned me, there was another glitch...  The Ikea instructions for the Domsjo sink tells you to router out the counter to enable the sink to sit properly. Lorenzo didn't like the way it looked and was annoyed - so he decided he'd have to fix it. Then he called to ask me if I'd remembered to pack the drain for the sink. I hadn't. Then he called to say that we were four cabinet hinges short. Last night, I was feeding the kids and one of their friends, gearing up to take my younger son to his drum lesson in North Vancouver, and suddenly I just didn't think I could take one more call from the cottage. So I unplugged the phone.

I called him from the parking lot and we chatted - he sounded so very tired. And I felt weary - a sense of this cottage never being done started to take over. There is always some stupid piddly little detail that manages to derail everything. I will never ever renovate another house. I would have to win the lottery first - and hire a team to do everything and call me when it's done.

Here is what Lorenzo did on this trip:

Because the walls in the cottage are crooked, there were gaps here and there along the floor. So Lorenzo went around and installed moulding. A lot of people wouldn't mind the gaps, I suppose, but we're not like most people. We're insane.

Notice the lovely 45-degree cut... Normally I believe floor moulding should be painted the same colour as the door and window trim. However, in this instance it will be painted the same colour as the walls. The reason is because it is so narrow; painting it white would only draw attention to its insignificance.

When Lorenzo sent me these pictures, I felt a wave of gloom sweep over me. All I could think of was how on earth to paint this moulding without touching the new floors. 

The panelling around the cabinets looks fantastic. Because these baseboards are a good height, they will be painted Cloud White like all the other trim on the main floor. The panelling will be painted the same as the walls - Man On The Moon. I considered introducing an accent colour - such as a watery gray or some other beachy hue - but I think it would be wrong and only cause an already small area to appear narrower.

I ordered the stove fan from the Sears catalogue so long ago that I forgot what it looked like. It's cute - I like the curved front. Lorenzo said the install was very time-consuming; he'd never installed a hood fan before...

The gable adjacent the dishwasher was shortened to address the crookedness of the floor. It still appears skewed to me but Lorenzo assures me it isn't. Lee the Plumber arrived and hooked up the sink and dishwasher. And by some miracle, he happened to have a brand new Ikea drain sitting in his workshop! How great is that?

Here are the 15-inch drawers....

Lorenzo managed to figure out the drawer assembly that nearly gave me a nervous breakdown....

Tight squeeze, but he got it in. The top of the pantry cabinet has a small door - which he couldn't install because we didn't get enough hinges...

Lorenzo decided to finish off the cabinets with end pieces, which is a nice idea, but I'm bothered by this picture. The fan cabinets should have been installed slightly lower - you can see where the top finishing piece suddenly ends because there wasn't enough room. This really bothers me...my eye is going fix itself on that black space every time I look in that direction. We'll have to figure something out...


So here is what is left to do:  
1) Paint mouldings
2) Paint panelling around base cabinets
3) Install lights
4) Buy some window coverings
5) Bring over washer & dryer...
6) Attach cupboard knobs
7) Install flange around wood stove pipe
8) Get chimney swept
9) Install kitchen shelves

ETC. ETC.

The list goes on and on ad nauseum. Lorenzo said we could plan on moving our stuff over but we can't. I want to wash all the hardwood floors because they are dirty but I'm not going to do that before the painting is completely finished. It should be the last thing I do before I bring in any furniture.

*     *     *     *

Every week or so, I make a trip to the library and try to find things for my kids to read - a healthy blend of fiction and non-fiction. My daughter is really into wolves right now - so I found her a book called "Wolf Totem" by Jiang Rong. The story takes place during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and weaves the demise of the Mongolian culture with the extinction of the Mongolian wolf - which they believed to be sacred. It has sold millions of copies and won numerous awards; I'm not sure how much my daughter is enjoying it. We'll see...

 My older son loves reading magazines, such as Rolling Stone, Macleans, The Atlantic Monthly, and Popular Mechanics. He's not really into novels anymore. But my younger son is reading a book that I could not put down a few years ago. When his brother read it last year he could hardly get out of bed in the morning from reading until the wee hours. If you haven't read this, and you like true stories of incredible human survival, give it a try. But be prepared to be up really late...
If I've already mentioned this, my apologies.

My son is currently on chapter 8 and we had a nice chat about it. He asked me what "Achtung Juden" meant and what a Bombardier is. Anything my kids know about World War ll is what I've taught them. They have never, ever, covered the subject - not even the Holocaust - in school. Typically, students have to wait until grade 11 or 12 and by then it's largely optional. It's appalling. 

Ciao for now!

Welcome back to "As the Cottage Turns." 
On this week's episode, we find Lorenzo  - frustrated cottage owner - having to face another long vista of discouragement and despair with no one to talk to except the frogs. Will he manage to get the kitchen finished? Will Lee the plumber show up? Stay tuned....


So we had to go to Ikea on Saturday morning to pick up the rest of the counter top which was on back order. Knowing that Lorenzo intended to finish the kitchen, I suggested that he take our dishwasher with him. It is seven years old, it's seen better days, so it made sense to take it to the cottage. He didn't see what the "mad rush" was and that's when I began to feel a snapping twitching feeling in my brain. I am at the point where if I hear, "I can bring it over on the next trip," or "what's the hurry?" I will seriously blow a brain fuse. So Lorenzo crawled under the kitchen sink to investigate the situation. I held the flash light. When he cut the hose, gunky water sprayed him in the face and I knew that he was angry with me. But lickety-split it was taken out, he and our son loaded it into the truck, and then Lorenzo said, "This was the right thing to do."  And off he went.

Sunday he spent doing all of the small jobs, such as the baseboard heaters...

Here is the bathroom baseboard heater. I can't believe how much things have improved in just seven years. The windows at our cottage are nicer than my windows here, so are the baseboard heaters. Go figure.


Here are the lovely black door knobs... 

Hey! If you have brass doorknobs from the 80's in your home, seriously consider switching them over. Make sure you change the hinges & catches while you're at it. 

Then again, where will all those sad brass door knobs end up? In a landfill? So try this: Buy a can of metallic black spray paint.... 

...and transform them in seconds!

Incredible. Got brass lever handles?

Here's the thing: If you have something that has a nice overall shape but the colour is outdated, either paint it white or black. You can't go wrong. Think of all the things we chuck out because they're brass: cabinet hardware, lamps, mirrors, light switches, fireplace tools... If you're sick of them, paint them black!


Lorenzo also installed the cupboard doors onto the built-in shelves in the bathroom...

I was hoping that the doors would sit flush inside the frames he built, but they are slightly proud. Oh well. It's a cottage. I need to keep reminding myself....

Today was kitchen day. Here's the progression:

The porcelain sink is called "Domsjo." Lorenzo thought I had purchased the wrong sink cabinet, but I didn't. There's just a different way of assembling it which I didn't know. You're supposed to read the instructions for the sink  before you assemble the sink cabinet. These are little Ikea rules that no one tells you about.

It's a pretty tight squeeze with the tall pantry cabinet. I really agonized over this, as we liked having that space where the hot water tank is to store the recycling.  But having such a small kitchen required that I have this tall cabinet: it will hold everything from cereal to dog food. 

Lorenzo wrapped the cabinets in sturdy plywood, upon which he will install wainscoting. I'm toying with the idea of painting it in an accent colour, but we'll see...

You'll notice that the fan cabinet sits below the ceiling beam. I really like this - I think it adds a quirky element to the space....

Then came the oak counter tops... When Lorenzo sent me this picture, I emailed him back asking if the counter where the dishwasher is going to go is level; it seemed like it was slightly dipping southward. He said, "Good eye. Yes, it's not level. Because of the floors." So he will shorten the gable to make the counter flush. Tomorrow. 

It's amazing how much counter space you achieve with a corner cabinet: 37 inches by 37 inches. Although this kitchen is very small, I'm confident that it will function well and I'll be able to cook anything there that I can here. I have never liked big kitchens anyway - too much wasted space.


*     *     *     *

Recently, on "Canada's Handyman Challenge" the winner was a woman! Her name is Maria Nestoras...

Lorenzo and I watched this series and I was really rooting for her. Watching a woman design and build an entire outdoor structure, do plumbing, electrical, window install, roofing, etc. was really inspiring. It makes you realize that gender has nothing to do with any of this. Maybe this is how black people have felt seeing other black people achieve things that were previously thought to be impossible, or outside the realm of intellectual ability. You think, "Maybe I could do this too." 

On the night she won, a commercial for Tide detergent came on. For the first time in my life, a man was talking about how he uses Tide to wash his daughter's blanket. And then it showed him playing with her. No Mom in the picture; just the two of them.

I thought, "Wow. This is different." Because usually, whether it's a commercial for Swiffer, or oven cleaner, or what to do with frozen chicken - it's always a woman. And it bugs me because the vast majority of women are holding down full-time jobs. They are making the bacon and bringing it home and without their salaries the mortgage wouldn't get paid. But somehow this reality has eluded the advertising executives. Even if women are the ones doing the majority of the housework (while working full-time) it isn't something to just accept as being a given;  it isn't something to celebrate. It reflects a serious imbalance which is the cause of a great deal of marital stress.

Advertising shapes the way we think about things - it holds real cultural importance whether we like it or not. Think back to the 1950's and those infuriating advertisements that depicted women as being absolute idiots, salivating over their appliances, waiting for their masters to come home, submissive and servile and always wearing an apron with a string of pearls. This had a profound affect on society and gender relations...

It only took...sixty years to see this:

If we see men caring about the laundry or stressing over what to make for dinner, it sends a very clear message that men are expected to care about these things; about what gets eaten and whether or not the sheets are clean. And why shouldn't he - he lives there too. I want my sons to see commercials like this.  Likewise, if my daughter grows up seeing women using power tools and not waiting for a guy to fix things, it will reinforce the idea that she is capable of figuring these things out. I don't want her growing up believing that housework is her domain, and I certainly don't want my sons assuming that one day their wives or girlfriends will be their personal maids. I do notice that my kids have very few gender biases - they see things very differently than I did which makes me grateful. As bad as things may be in 2013, I wouldn't want to go back to any other time.

And all of this makes me realize that I am ready to do something else with my life now. I've been helping a friend design her kitchen and I was toying with the idea of doing this as a career. Took some books out of the library and tried to imagine myself dealing with paint samples and on-line design tools; lining up the trades and waiting for plumbers to show up. I enjoy this, but it lacks intellectual depth and ultimately it's all rather shallow in the big grand scheme of things. It wouldn't give me a sense of really contributing anything meaningful to society. I gave up teaching to raise my kids and now I'd like to go back. This blog has had a lot to do with this - although this is a "cottage blog" I discovered that I'd rather be writing about politics or literature.  
Anyway, the big question is, will anyone hire me? I guess we'll see... I wonder if someone would pay me to read books all day. That would be a dream job.

Anyway, a HUGE congratulations to Maria Nestoras. She's a trail blazer, for sure.


Ciao for now. 

                                English Cottage Garden